Carrying case for stringed musical instruments



S. M. KATZ June 20, 1967 CARRYING CASE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 27, 1965 we wm w N A NM Mv vb Q INVENTOR JLPMM, MM flu ATTORNEYS s. M. KATZ 3,326,359

CARRYING CASE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS June 20, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 27, 1965 WNW mm ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,326,359 CARRYING CASE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Sidney M. Katz, Glencoe, Ill, assignor, by mesne assignv ments, to The Seeburg Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporalion of Delaware Filed Aug. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 483,138 6 Claims. (Cl. 206-43) This invention relates to a carrying case for stringed musical instruments, such as guitars, violins, etc., and is particularly concerned with means enabling a single case to be used for instruments of various sizes.

Stringed musical instruments of the type with which this invention is concerned are relatively fragile, and may be damaged if they are allowed to shift around in the case in which they are carried. Even if the inner surfaces of the case are lined, an instrument may be damaged by a series of small shocks such as those incidental to handling a case in which an instrument is enclosed. In addition to lining the entire inner surface of the case, it is customary to provide each instrument with a case made to fit it rather snugly, to prevent shifting of the instrument Within the case. Thus, anybody trading in one instrument on a different one generally has to buy a different case to fit the new instrument.

In accordance with the present invention, a single carrying case is provided wit-h means holding an instrument against shifting within the carrying case and supporting it in spaced relationship to the inner surfaces of the case. Since there is no direct contact between the instrument and the inner surfaces of the carrying case, any instrument that is small enough to be enclosed in the case maye be safely carried within the case.

The carrying case constructed in accordance with the invention comprises complementary top and bottom sections molded of any suitable plastic material. The top and bottom sections each has integral sidewalls that are hinged together along the sidewalls on one side of the case and divide the case evenly to facilitate removal of the instrument from the case when the case is open. The top wall of the case is provided with an integral reinforcing rib extending longitudinally thereof to provide extra protection adjacent the strings of an instrument enclosed in the case.

Various sections of the case are provided with a plura ity of soft compressible cushioning members, preferably of foamed polyurethane, or the like. The cushioning members engage opposite surfaces of the instrument when the case is closed, and clamp the instrument between them to provide a floating support that holds the instrument against shifting in the closed case. The thickness of the cushioning members is sufficient to clamp instruments of different sizes, and to hold them in spaced relationship to the inner surfaces of the case.

A suitable structure by means of which the above mentioned and other advantages of the invention are attained is fully described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a carrying case embodying the invention, with a guitar enclosed therein;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the case in closed position; and

FIGURE 4 is a top View of the case in open position.

In the drawings, a carrying case 11 comprises a relatively rigid bottom section 12, having a bottom wall 13 and integral sidewalls 14, 15, 16 and 17, and a rela- Patented June 20, 1967 -tively rigid complementary top section 18 having a top wall 19 and integral sidewalls 21, 22, 23 and 24. The top and bottom sections are molded of any suitable plastic material that has sufiicient rigidity to protect an instrument enclosed in the case against external forces, and is water-resistant, so that it will not absorb moisture and transmit it to the enclosed instrument.

Bot-h sections 12 and 18 are shaped to receive a stringed musical instrument 25 of the type comprising a body 26 and a neck 27 extending from one end of the body. The free edges of the sidewalls 21, 22, 23 and 24 are each offset outwardly, as indicated at 28, 29, 31 and 32, respectively, to overlap the free edges of the complementary sidewalls of the bottom section to form a weathertight closure when the case is closed. The top section 18 is preferably provided with an integral reinforcing rib 33 extending longitudinally along its center to provide extra protection adjacent the strings of an instrument enclosed in the case.

The top and bottom sections are secured together by hinges 34 secured to the complementary sidewalls 16 and 23. The sidewalls are all of approximately the same height, and the location of the hinges makes the case open at about its middle. Opening the case at its middle exposes the instrument so as to facilitate removal of the instrument from the carrying case. Cooperating latch members '35 and 36 are provided on sidewalls 14 and 21, and on sidewalls 17 and 24, to latch the case in closed position. A handle 37 is secured to the sidewall 12 to facilitate carrying the case 11.

The bottom section 12 is provided with a receptacle 38 for holding various accessories to be used with the musical instrument 25. The receptacle 38 comprises two walls 39 and 41 extending across the narrow portion of the bottom section and fixed in longitudinally spaced relationship. A cover 42 is hinged to the wall 41, as indicated at 43. The cover 42 has a width equal to the width of the narrow portion of the bottom section, and a length equal to the longitudinal distance between the walls 39 and 41. In the closed position of the receptacle 38, the cover 42 extends completely over the top of the receptacle in a plane parallel to the bottom Wall 13.

The inner surfaces of the sidewalls 14 and 16 of the bottom section 12 are lined 'with cushioning strips 44 and 45, respectively. The strips 44 and 45 extend from the wall 41 around a portion of the sidewall 17 and terminate in spaced relationship on the wall 17. A thicker cushioning strip 46 is secured to the wall 17 to fill the gap between the ends of the strips 44 and 45 and provide continuous sidewall protection for the body of the instrument. The head 47 of the instrument is similarly protected by cushioning strips 48 and 49. The cushioning strip 48 is secured to the inner surface of the sidewall 15 and adjacent portions of the sidewalls 14 and 16, and the cushioning strip 49 is secured to the inner surface of the bottom wall 18 adjacent the strip 48. A cushioning member 51 is provided on the upper surface of the cover 42 of the receptacle 38 to protect the back side of the neck 27 of the instrument.

The cushioning strips 44, 45, 46, 48 and 49 are not essential to the protection of an instrument as it is carried in the case, but are desirable because of the possibility -of damage that might otherwise occur through lack of care when the instrument is being positioned in, or removed from, the bottom section of the case. In this connection, it will be noted that the sidewalls of the top section 18 are free of any cushioning strips.

In accordance with the present invention, three cushioning members 52, 53 and 54 cooperate to clamp an instrument body between them and thus provide a floating support for instruments of various sizes. The cushioning member 52 is secured to the bottom wall 13 to protect the bottom of the body of the instrument. The cushioning member 52 preferably extends across a major portion of the bottom wall to enable it to protect the bottom of an instrument body of any size that can fit into the case. If desired, the cushioning member 52 may be replaced by a plurality of strips extending transversely across the bottom wall 13.

Two cushioning members 53 and 54 are secured to the inner surface of the top wall 19 in longitudinally spaced relationship. The cushioning member 53 is positioned to engage the top surface of the neck near the head, and the cushioning member 54 is positioned'to engage the bridge 55 when the case is closed with an instrument therein.

The cushioning members 53 and 54 are of considerable thickness to enable them to engage the top of instruments of various widths supported on the cushioning member 52. The distance between the inner surfaces of the cushioning members 52 and 54 along a line normal to the planes of said surfaces is designed to be less than the thickness of the body of any instrument to be carried in the case. Similarly, the thickness of the cushioning member 53 is designed to be greater than the distance between the neck 27 and the top of the case.

Accordingly, when the top section 18 is closed with an instrument having its body supported on the cushioning member 52, the cushioning members 52 and 54 clamp the body 26 between them, and the cushioning member 53 clamps the neck 27 against movement. The clamping action between the cooperating cushioning members holds instruments narrower than the case against lateral shifting, and instruments shorter than the case from longitudinal shifting. The cushioning members 52, 5'3 and 54 thus provide a floating support that holds the instrument spaced from the inner surfaces of the case and keeps it from shifting within the case regardless of the dimensions of the instrument.

7 Although cushioning members 52-54 cooperate to clamp an instrument body therebetween and thus provide a floating support therefor, the provision of cushioning member 51 on the upper surface of cover 42 of receptacle 38 further serves to clamp an instrument disposed in the closed container in a floating condition. Thus, respective pairs of cushioning members 52 and 54 and 5-1 and 5-3 (see FIGURE 1) serve to clamp instruments of various sizes in a floating condition within the case. The distances between the inner surfaces of the respective pairs of cushioning members are less than the thickness of the part of the instrumentengaged therebetween, thereby providing the floating support that permits instruments of varying dimension to be safely disposed within the case.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of the invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative,

rather than restrictive, as many details of structure may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact structure described.

What is claimed is:

1. A carrying case in combination with a stringed musical instrument of the type comprising a body and a neck extending from one end thereof, said case com prising a bottom section and a complementary top section, means for securing said top and bottom sections to gether, a first cushioning member in said bottom section adapted to engage the body of the instrument positioned in said bottom section, and said second cushioning members secured to the inner surface of said top section in longitudinally spaced relationship, one of said second cushioning members being positioned in the top section opposite the first cushioning member when the case is in closed position, each of said cushioning members being positioned to be compressed by the instrument enclosed in said case when said case is in closed position, the dis tance between the facing surfaces of the first cushioning member and the said one second cushioning member along a line normal to the planes of said surfaces being less than the thickness of the instrument body engaged thereby, whereby said second cushioning members co operate with the first cushioning member to hold the in strument in spaced relationship to the inner surfaces of said case and to prevent it from shifting within said case.

2. A carrying case in combination with a stringed musical instrument of the type comprising a body and a neck extending from one end thereof, said case comprising tWo complementary sections, hinge means for securing said sections together, and two cushioning members fixed in longitudinally spaced relationship in each of said sections, one pair of said cushioning members engaging opposite surfaces of the body of the instrument enclosedin said case, said other pair of cushioning members engaging opposite surfaces of the neck of the instrument enclosed in said case, the distance between the inner surfaces of the cushioning members of each pair along a line normal to the planes of said surfaces being less than the thickness of the part of the instrument engaged thereby, whereby said cushioning members are compressed when said case is in closed position with the instrument enclosed therein, thereby providing a floating support holding the instrument in spaced relationship to the inner surfaces of said case.

3. A carrying case in combination with a stringed musical instrument of the type comprising a body and a neck extending from one end thereof, said case comprising molded top and bottom sections each having sidewalls integral therewith, hinge means on one sidewall of each of said sections securing said sections together, and two cushioning members fixed in longitudinally spaced relationship in each of said sections, one pair of said cushioning members engaging opposite surfaces of the body of the instrument enclosed in said case, said other pair of cushioning members engaging opposite surfaces of the neck of the instrument enclosed in said case, the distance between the inner surfaces of the cushioning members of each pair along a line normal to the planes of said surfaces being less than the thickness of the part of the instrument engaged thereby, whereby said cushioning members are compressed when said case is in closed position with the instrument enclosed therein, thereby providing a floating support for the instrument independently of the inner surfaces of the case, said top section having a longitudinally extending reinforcing rib integral therewith to provide extra protection adjacent the string area of the instrument enclosed in said case.

4. A carrying case in combination with a stringed musical instrument of the type comprising a body and a neck extending from one end thereof, said case comprising complementary top and bottom sections each having sidewalls integral therewith, hinge means for securing said sections together, an open top compartment mounted in said bottom section, a cover closing said open top, a cushioning member secured to the upper surface of said cover, a cushioning member secured in said bottom section, said first mentioned cushioning member engaging the neck of the instrument having its body in engagement with said second mentioned cushioning member, and two cushioning members fixed in longitudinally spaced relationship in said top section, said last mentioned cushioning members engaging the body and neck of the instrument enclosed in said case on surfaces opposite the surfaces engaged by said flrst and second mentioned cushioning members, the distance between the inner surfaces of the cushioning members engaging opposite surfaces of said instrument being less than the thickness of the part of the instrument engaged thereby, whereby said cushioning members are compressed when said case is in closed position with the instrument enclosed therein, thereby holding the instrument in spaced relationship to the inner surfaces of the case.

'5, A carrying case in combination with a stringed musical instrument of the type comprising a body and a neck extending from one end thereof, said case comprising a molded bot-tom section and a molded complementary top section, means for securing said top and bottom sections together, a first cushioning member in said bottom section adapted to engage the body of the instrument positioned in said bottom section, and second cushioning members secured to the inner surface of said top section in longitudinally spaced relationship, one of said second cushioning members being positioned in the top section opposite the first cushioning member when the case is in closed position, each of said cushioning members being positioned to be compressed by the instrument enclosed in said case when said case is in closed position, the distance between the facing surfaces of the first cushioning member and the said one second cushioning member along a line normal to the planes of said surfaces being less than the thickness of the instrument body engaged thereby, whereby the second cushioning members cooperate with the first cushioning member to hold the instrument in spaced relationship to the inner surfaces of said case and to prevent it from shifting within said case, said top section having a longitudinally extending reinforcing rib integral therewith to provide extra protection adjacent the string area of the instrument enclosed in said case.

6. A carrying case in combination with a stringed musical instrument of the type comprising a body and a neck extending from one end thereof, said case comprising molded top and bottom sections each having sidewalls integral therewith, hinge means on one sidewall of each of each of said sections securing said sections together, two cushioning members fixed in longitudinally spaced relationship in each of said sections, one pair of said cushioning members engaging opposite surf-aces of the body of the instrument enclosed in said case, said other pair of cushioning members engaging opposite surfaces of the neck of the instrument enclosed in said case, the distance between the inner surfaces of the cushioning members of each pair along a line normal to the planes of said surfaces being less than the thickness of the part of the instrument engaged thereby, whereby said cushioning members are compressed when said case is in closed position with the instrument enclosed therein, thereby providing a floating support for the instrument independently of the inner surfaces of the case, a cushioning strip fixed to each end of said bottom sect-ion, a cushioning strip fixed to each sidewall of said bottom section engaging the sides of the body of the instrument enclosed in said case, and said top section having a longitudinally extending reinforcing rib integral therewith to provide extra protection adjacent the string area of the instrument enclosed in said case.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,352,814 9/1'920 Kirk 20613 1,624,994 4/1927 Stark 20614 1,988,718 1/1935 Cook 20613 2,964,166 12/1960 Lehner et a1. 206-1 3,038,593 6/1962 Root.

3,048,262 8/1962 Pas-cucci 206-13 3,048,668 8/1962 Weiss.

LOUIS G. MANOENE, Primary Examiner, 

1. A CARRYING CASE IN COMBINATION WITH A STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT OF THE TYPE COMPRISING A BODY AND A NECK EXTENDING FROM ONE END THEREOF, SAID CASE COMPRISING A BOTTOM SECTION AND A COMPLEMENTARY TOP SECTION, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID TOP AND BOTTOM SECTIONS TOGETHER , A FIRST CUSHIONING MEMBER IN SAID BOTTOM SECTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE BODY OF THE INSTRUMENT POSITIONED IN SAID BOTTOM SECTION, AND SAID SECOND CUSHIONING MEMBERS SECURED TO THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID TOP SECTION IN LONGITUDINALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP, ONE OF SAID SECOND CUSHIONING MEMBERS BEING POSITIONED IN THE TOP SECTION OPPOSITE THE FIRST CUSHIONING MEMBER WHEN THE CASE IS IN CLOSED POSITION, EACH OF SAID CUSHIONING MEMBERS BEING POSITIONED TO BE COMPRESSED BY THE INSTRUMENT ENCLOSED IN SAID CASE WHEN SAID CASE IS IN CLOSED POSITION, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE FACING SURFACES OF THE FIRST CUSHIONING MEMBER AND THE SAID ONE SECOND CUSHIONING MEMBER ALONG A LINE NORMAL TO THE PLANES OF SAID SURFACE BEING LESS THAN THE THICKNESS OF THE INSTRUMENT BODY ENGAGED THEREBY WHEREBY SAID SECOND CUSHIONING MEMBERS COOPERATE WITH THE FIRST CUSHIONING MEMBER TO HOLD THE INSTRUMENT IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO THE INNER SURFACES OF SAID CASE AND TO PREVENT IT FROM SHIFTING WITHIN SAID CASE. 